When the players all spoke up

Hoang Duc played a pivotal role. Photo: Laodong.vn

First of all, in V-League 1, a series of stars of all ages are consistently scoring goals or providing assists, and are being "stored" in the memory of the scouting committees. These include names like Minh Vương (Hoàng Anh Gia Lai), Văn Thanh, Văn Đô, Văn Vũ (Công an Hà Nội), Hoàng Đức (Viettel), Ngọc Hải, Trọng Hoàng, Xuân Mạnh (Sông Lam Nghệ An), Tiến Linh (Bình Dương), Văn Tùng (Hà Nội FC), Nguyên Mạnh (Thép Xanh Nam Định), Quốc Phương (Đông Á Thanh Hóa)...

With an unbeaten record and leading the league after 9 rounds with 21 points, 4 points ahead of second-placed Hanoi Police, the newly emerging Dong A Thanh Hoa team shows consistent strength thanks to improved physical fitness for long-term competition and the superior quality of their foreign players in both defense and attack. However, the Thanh Hoa team has yet to introduce any truly outstanding stars to the Vietnamese national team, except for the "phenomenon" Thai Son in the U22 Vietnam team, who is frequently used as a substitute in central midfield by coach Popov. But certainly, in the current context, with Hung Dung recovering from injury, Thai Son is a potential candidate for this important position, serving both immediate needs and the long-term development of a top-class midfielder.

Although only temporarily ranked second in the standings, Hanoi Police are back on track after a shaky start both on the field and in the technical area. With a streak of four consecutive wins, Hanoi Police are thriving thanks to the resurgence of national team players such as Van Thanh, Tan Tai, Van Vu, and especially U22 national team player Van Do. These are all versatile players, capable of playing in many different positions, with strong defense, excellent attack, and impeccable assists. Van Thanh is being praised for his versatility, playing in multiple positions, both assisting and scoring. Tan Tai recently set up Van Do for a goal in the comeback victory against Song Lam Nghe An. It's worth noting that Van Do scored from the position of a center forward, not a winger as many people might imagine.

"The man with no lungs," Trong Hoang, is back. Photo: Hai Hoang

Interestingly, despite nine inconsistent matches with more draws and losses than wins, Song Lam Nghe An is introducing quite a few familiar faces to new coach Philippe Troussier. Three names being considered are Ngoc Hai, Trong Hoang, and Xuan Manh, not to mention the possibility of young talents like Van Cuong and Xuan Tien being called up. Ngoc Hai returned as a top-class playmaker, executing a perfectly placed pass, seemingly understanding Trong Hoang's every move in the recent match against Hanoi Police at Hang Day Stadium. And the "tireless" Trong Hoang's return is not only due to his active movement but also to his top-class goal-scoring prowess, as he once was. Meanwhile, Xuan Manh provided two assists in the match against Hong Linh Ha Tinh, and has also been a dynamic player, starting nine matches for the team without being substituted once since the beginning of the season.

While Tien Linh and Van Tung ended their goal drought under their new coach, Nguyen Manh and Van Lam competed fiercely in goal, to the point that it's currently unclear who should be called the number one goalkeeper in Vietnamese football. In V-League 2, PVF Public Security and Quang Nam are currently leading the standings after 5 rounds, featuring stars like Cong Den, Duc Phu, and Thanh Nhan, not to mention the recently talked-about top-scoring center-back Van Hung. In the Second Division, whether we like it or not, the name Minh Trong cannot be ignored, as he was a standout player in the recent Vietnam U22 team.

To be clear, while coach Troussier hopes that clubs will give their players as much playing time as possible, not everything is immediately granted, and not everyone can meet or convince the coach of his demanding requirements. However, many things have been revealed, proving who the coach needs to focus on and where in the upcoming matches. Clearly, at the present time, Vietnamese football has no shortage of talented players ready to contribute to the national team. This will be a "pleasant headache" for Troussier as a series of stars have made their mark in recent matches. Of course, being called up is one thing, but staying and performing to what extent is another. Staying in the Vietnamese national team has never been easy, even for "favorite pupils" or those with impressive track records.

Bui Hoa